Theory and Practice: Implementing Computer Technology in a Secondary School.

Cicchelli, Terry; Baecher, Richard

This study focused on the personal dimensions of the change process, and on teacher concerns about using microcomputers in the classroom. Eighteen senior high school teachers volunteered to complete the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ), which yields reliable data on seven distinct stages of concern. Based on their SoCQ profiles, three "users" and three "non-users" were interviewed to determine their present and projected uses of computers in teaching. The database created by this study was used to design a set of inservice activities that over a 3-day period for 15 hours produced a significant change in teachers' concerns towards microcomputers. It was concluded that a change model assuming a person-level orientation to an innovation is a promising approach to be used for inservice training. (19 references) (DB)